I got on the phone and finally talked to Doug. He was running around and had to take care of all kinds of little things in preparation for the wedding. So i got the information on where the Tux was waiting for me, and i headed out.
Now a bit about driving in Iowa... People drive EXACTLY at the speed limit. No faster, and no slower. Its a relief from LA driving where half of the people drive FAR slower than the speed limit, and half the people drive FAR faster. You can actually predict what people are going to do in Iowa when they are driving. WHY you ask... well, they all seem to use their blinkers. FUCKIN AMAZING!
So i drove from Pella to Knoxville in about 30 minutes taking time to just relax. I got into the town square in Knoxville and parked the car directly in front of City Hall. Well you can't miss the spot cause City hall is the tallest building around and can be seen for at least 5 miles in every direction.
I call doug from the sidewalk and he asks me where i am. As soon as i tell him he laughs and tells me to hold on a second. He hangs up the phone and 30 seconds later he turns the corner in front of me. Hah small town. So i actually parked in front of the place that had my tux, so i go in a try it on to be sure. After everything is taken care of there i let Doug get back to his running around. He's got a lot of stuff to do before the weekend is over.
At this point i drive around aimlessly just checking out the town. I eventually drive back to Pella and grab something to eat. Then after relaxing for a couple hours i head back to Knoxville for the rehearsal.
Everybody has a great time joking around at the church, and we all run the introduction gauntlet.
After the rehearsal we head over to Kristi's parents house just down the road. I attempt to park in front of the house, but as Kristi's dad is pulling his truck in, he laughs at me to park in the parking lot in back. I failed to notice that FAR up the driveway there was a car with a sign on it... "PARKING" and a big arrow. Yup, that's the benefit of 4 acres.
Dinner was catered from a BBQ place in town and was unbelievable. And Doug and Bryan both had to show off their skills by providing homebrew beer and wine. At this point in the night i've talked to Jen a few times and i know that they too have been delayed. They have arrived at the Hotel in Pella, and will be on their way shortly.
Jen, Bob, Valerie and David all show up after dinner, but the party is by no means over. We all hang out for a couple more hours and then Doug and Kristi call it a night. They have to get some sleep for the big day.
The next morning Jen demands that i walk her around Pella. I need some black socks, so i get to the shoe store in town. We then grab a couple Danish Letters and coffee. I head off to the church in Knoxville and get there about 11. Everybody was told to be ready for pictures by 11:30... I had a feeling that this time had been "padded" on purpose, but i didn't want to be the asshole that shows up late. When i walk in Doug is already dressed and sitting around waiting. He's got a lot on him mind and you can tell he got up early. I get ready and start the picture procedures. We wait while Doug and Kristi have the church to themselves for pictures for about an hour. We then follow, and the real fun of pictures starts. Just imagine full wedding party and then 4 kids that won't necessarily look at the camera. So the photographer takes it upon himself to get their attention. With a balloon in one hand and the camera in the other he waves and makes noises and bonks people on the head and himself on the head and does EVERYTHING he can to get the kids to look. It works for awhile, but eventually the 2-year-old doesn't want to do anything but play with grandpa. Enough pictures for her. So there is a little kicking and screaming and a couple more pictures in the church. Then back downstairs for MORE pictures in the "green room". So for the better part of 4 hours i do nothing but snap photos of my own and pose in pictures myself.
Finally the ceremony begins, and for a moment i get to relax because i know nobody is looking at me anymore. All eyes are focused on Doug and Kristi. Everybody else is just along for the ride. The service goes off without a problem at all. Even as hot as it was there was no fainting spells or sick faces. Doug's sister sang during the service and Doug's brother finished off the service playing bagpipes.
We blew bubbles outside as they got into their convertible and were driven off. We then headed to the reception (only 4 blocks away) When we arrived we waited for everyone else so that the wedding party could be announced. Well the only problem... Bryan had headed off to trash Doug and Kristi's house. We waited around and then headed into the reception.
At this point everybody seemed to be completely relaxed and having a great time. Bryan started off with his toast and I admit its the first time i've witnessed Blogs being quoted in a wedding toast. Jen and I danced a few dances and then sat around talking to the normal people we see at every wedding. We need to start planning to see these people other times during our lives, not JUST at weddings. The bouquet toss went over without any full contact knock downs, and then Doug shot the garter. We expected it to go directly into the crowd of guys, but instead his aim was a little off. Well it actually was about 20 feet off. BUT it did land directly in the hands of an 8-year-old who was sitting at his table WAY off the dance floor. The cheers erupted. He was shocked. Classic wedding moment, and Doug rushed right in to get his picture with him.
The rest of the night was a blur. Doug and Kristi headed off to a hotel for the night, and everybody else parted company. Jen and I headed back to Pella to crash.
Father's day we woke up Bob at about 9AM and handed him his father's day card and my Tux (so he could pass it to Roger). Jen and I then walked into the ghost town that is Pella on a Sunday. As soon as we realized that everything was closed, we headed out to the airport and sat there reading. I finished my book before we got on the plane. Jen and I had gotten our tickets at different times, so we were not sitting next to each other. But once on the plane we negotiated a 3 way trade so we could be together, and a mom and her son could be together. Honestly this is the smallest plane i've been on, but it was the nicest ride to Denver.
Denver we had a 4 hour delay, so we tried for standby on an earlier flight. We got some food and ended up on a flight that only was 45 minutes earlier than the flight we were scheduled for. We got back to LA and our bags were actually with us!!!! No traffic at all. We headed for Arcadia, but my brain went on auto pilot and we ended up in S. Pas. Suddenly Tony's pizza sounded REALLY good, so we swung by and picked up a medium pizza and drove to arcadia to pick up Jen's car. We ended up at home at about 7:30 and sat the rest of the night just doing nothing. I slept so well that night.
